Blog Archives

Ok. Calm down. It’s not like I have been wanting to see The Go-Gos on tour since high-school or anything….

Dreams do come true! And they are coming to Seattle!

So, in case you are not “in the know” yet, for The Go-Gos’ 30th anniversary of “Beauty And The Beat” they will be touring, releasing a special hot pink, limited edition vinyl, and just radiating general awesome all around. Plus, they are getting their own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame! About time!

This summer The Go-Gos will revisit all their hits for a new generation to “get the beat.” Speaking of this new generation, they are also involved in Girl Scouts Rock! Powered by Roland, featuring music and education workshops, much like Girls Rock Camps. If it wasn’t for groups like The Go-Gos, I may never have realized that I myself could pick up a guitar and make my voice heard. I owe much of my personal persona and guitar antics to Jane Wiedlin.

The Go-Go’s (Belinda Carlisle, Charlotte Caffey, Gina Schock, Jane Wiedlin and Kathy Valentine) carry on the tradition of women in rock, both past and present. They pioneered catchy, surfy, and fun-loving rock n’ roll, with style and sass in the 1980s. Now, amidst all the current ’80s nostalgia, it is a pleasure to see them reuniting to tour.

Stay tuned via their website for more tour dates, special VIP packages, and when you can buy a vinyl reissue of “Beauty and the Beat.”

The RPM 2011 challenge is over (well, officially anyways, but I am still going to work on mixing and remixing my tracks) and that means it’;s time to catch up on the hundreds of press releases in my inbox. So, here are some artists U Outta Know, in this brief PR shout out:

NYC native, Sabrina Chap mixes feminism, vaudeville, and music with her latest release. Also a published author, you can read her work on female self-destruction titled “Live Through This- On Creativity and Self-Destruction.” View her music video for “Never Been A Bad Girl” here. Chap breaks your boxes and blows your mind!

The Kills – Savvy British Rockers release their new album “Blood Pressures” April 5, 2011.

London’s calling you to turn up your radio! Something about the washed out looks and dirty guitars always screams Brit-Underground to me. This duo delivers garage punk for the rebel 2.0. Check out their latest video “Satellite” here.

Hailing from Maryland, Trumpet Grrrl is girl after my own heart. Self producing and recording her work, her debut release, “The Basement Tracks,” showcases her synthesis of vocals, keys, and punchy brass. I feel some new wave influences in her work too. An avid videographer, Trumpet Grrrl’s videos, in addition to her infectious confidence, are an inspiration to all the ladies out there who want to create art without limitations. Check out her video below and her various pop-star covers on youtube. I am floating up!

Blame It On The Girl was one of the first bands to contact me here at Jukebox Heroines when I began doing album reviews. We’ve since kept in touch and I am happy to announce that their new EP “Dismember” debuts today!

To recap, Blame It On The Girl is a Seattle, WA based Psychedelic/Progressive/New Wave quartet whose style is a mix of Blondie, The Cranberries, and The Muffs with some trippy fx tossed in the mix.

The EP begins on a slower, solemn note, with bouncing electic guitars and reverb laden vocal croons. But then, a swell of emotion oozes, and quickly subsides in a wave of drum fills. The title track is reminiscent of a midnight tide cycle, pushing and pulling, brining the listener in and out with leading bass lines, ending in light drum stick taps dancing at your ears.

“The Chase” picks up the pace with savory growls against the flutter of precisely timed power chords, and a bit of a an eastern-flavored drive in the solo. This by far is my favorite track. It’s energetic, and continues that emotional pull. Likewise “Emptying” boasts impressive instrument riffs that gives the song’s title meaning in musical form. “Mayfly Zipper” is dirty, gritty, and feels like a page ripped from a jaded journal entry, with slightly singed edges.

The EP closes with the effect laden groove “Sense Offense.” It indeed floats into your sense of time with the main riffs of the song dancing about in the stereo-field, giving the listener a sense of disembodiment, which seems to be the album’s main theme. Themes of separation, especially in the instrumental work, topped off with vocals which feel spatially floating in the unknown space between make this idea wonderfully clear.

If an upcoming full album (please!) is anything like this, Blame It On The Girl is sure to put the pieces together for one incredible rock and roll carpet ride. You can get their EP digitally with a download code purchased at their shows, and hopefully, online outlets as well. Until then, stream the EP on their myspace, and check out their debut party tonight!